Two tales of the criminal justice system this week, with the Excessive Fines Clause and the Fourth Amendment both playing a part. First, in the Second Circuit, Ari Bargil tells us how an ingenious scheme of selling marijuana over an app hits a snag when the funds have to go through the bank. Which is subject to all kinds of federal laws. What about the law forbidding excessive fines? For that it gets a little complicated. Then it’s off to the Ninth Circuit where John Wrench details a traffic stop with an “inventory search.” Did the cops really make it just to ensure the defendant didn’t lose his stuff? Many of us our skeptical, but somehow the conviction stands.
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